Marketplace

New Construction Leads

Construction contractors can find new construction leads through a variety of sources. While new construction leads should be common knowledge, having friends that are willing to share information doesn't exactly hurt either.

In most cases, property owners or architects want as many contractors as possible to know about their project in order to get the lowest possible bids. The most regular way to do this is to release a public announcement, either in the form of letters to construction companies the owner is familiar with or post it in the form of an advertisement in industry newsletters or magazines. More recently, new construction leads are frequently found on industry-related Web sites, as well as the company's site itself.

Federal, state and local authorities are required by law to post their jobs for an extended period of time in local newspapers, while many also post the jobs in industry publications. They also post their projects on their Web sites, giving multiple opportunities for potential builders to find and bid on their projects.

New construction leads can be directed at contractors known for specializing in certain construction methods. In the traditional bid process, the bids cover the amount it would cost a general contractor to build a project, pay its employees and make a small percentage of profit. The estimate covers the cost of items like concrete for the foundation, cables for electrical wiring, flooring, plumbing, carpentry and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning).

The design-build process is more involved. In this process, an architect and general contractor combine as a team and present a building or project design and construction contractor services in one proposal. The design-build process is used by those who believe an architect-contactor team with a past history of working together would be more efficient and, as a result, cheaper than an architect and contractor

The construction manager at-risk (CM at-risk) project falls in between the two. The architect is hired separately from the general contractor, but the contractor is involved in the project from the pre-construction process all the way through completion. The estimate comes in the form of a guaranteed maximum price, which covers all services rendered from pre-construction through the building process.

Leave a Comment

Roughneck Definition

Roughneck Definition Cook

It is fairly obvious what the job of a cook will entail, but if you have skills in this area would you consider working on an oil rig to put them to the test? It certainly provides an altogether different environment from where many other cooks work, and yet it is...

read entire definition